Marathon Know-How

If you’ve never run a marathon before but thought that one day you might like to, now’s the time of year that’ll awaken those desires. With Manchester, Brighton, Boston and London in quick succession (and others too!) marathon fever is at its peak. It’s hard not to get caught up in it and before you know it you’ll have your name down for next year!

It’s a decision you won’t regret but it’s worth considering that getting to the start line of a marathon, fit, well and ready to run is the hardest part of fulfilling your dream of running 26.2 miles. There’s a lot of preparation involved and I’m not just talking about the training programme. You do need to become an expert in the running itself but also in nutrition, recovery, stretching, injuries, strength and conditioning as well as psychological tricks and learning a whole lot about yourself. It’s like sitting an A level, there’s all the theory work that you need to do in order to complete the practical part of the exam at the end!

Advice, both welcome and unwelcome, comes from all directions and usually includes a horror story or two. Runners love to talk and they love to share their advice and tips but it can feel overwhelming and confusing and be enough to make you want to hop in your time machine and undo the ‘submit’ on your entry form!

There are many places you can go for information, there are endless books and online sources but I just wanted to point you in the direction of one that I discovered recently. It’s written by Graeme Hilditch a highly respected running coach, personal trainer and author of best selling running books including The Marathon and Half Marathon: A Training Guide. Well now you can have some of Graeme’s top advice and knowledge for free! He’s teamed up with Science In Sport to produce a really handy, practical guide covering all the basics of marathon running. There’s advice about everything from clothes to recovery, a large section on nutrition and even some training plans too.

Here’s a snippet from the introduction to the guide :

Over 30% of the runners who sign up for the London Marathon don’t even make the start line – yet only 1% of those who do start fail to finish. Now there’s a stat.

So why do so many fail to make it through the training?

Poor nutritional and physical preparation resulting in injury are to blame in the overwhelming majority of cases.

Don’t be a statistic. Your first goal is to make the start line – then you can dream of your ultimate goal of smashing out a PB.

This guide is here to help you achieve that dream. Let’s do it together.

So, if you’re running a marathon and need advice or if you’re thinking you might like to take on the distance and want to get some idea about what’s involved and how to get started, then this guide is the perfect place to go.

Like this:

I'm a former GP, mum of three, runner and health writer. My Book 'Sorted: The Active Woman's Guide to Health' is available now and published by Bloomsbury Sport. I'm a Champion for Physical Activity with Public Health England and the resident Health Expert for Women's Running UK and UKRunChat. I am the Women's Health Lead and Master Coach for 261Fearless and Director of 261 Fearless Club UK. On a mission to get the world moving more!